Mark Crutcher

Starting on Friday, I will be on vacation for a week ... and I have to say that it couldn't have come at a better time because the idea of spending ten hours of my Saturday watching an "Ending Abortion" webcast might have driven me over the edge:

Leaders representing more than 30 national and regional pro-life organizations will be part of an unprecedented 10-hour webcast conference this Saturday, July 10, from 10 am to 8 pm EDT ... The event will break the pro-life message up into ten different hour-long focused topics. Confirmed speakers include:

• CHARMAINE YOEST, Americans United for Life

• MARJORIE DANNENFELSER, Susan B. Anthony List

• KRISTAN HAWKINS, Students for Life

• TOM MCCLUSKY, Family Research Council

• WENDY WRIGHT, Concerned Women for America

• LOU ENGLE, The Call

• MARK CRUTCHER, Life Dynamics

• ABBY JOHNSON, former Planned Parenthood abortion center director

• ALVEDA KING, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

• DR. TONY LEVATINO, former abortionist

• PEGGY HARTSHORN, Heartbeat International

• THERESA and KEVIN BURKE, Rachel's Vineyard

"The goal is to educate, equip, and empower pro-lifers to have a greater life-saving impact right where they live," said Bereit, adding that this first-ever event is designed to set the stage for greater involvement in local pro-life efforts this fall, including the next 40 Days for Life campaign, which runs from September 22 to October 31.

"A renewed groundswell of grassroots interest can also help make the pro-life issue of primary importance prior to this fall's elections," Bereit said.

For those gluttons for punishment out there, you can register to watch the event here.

Over the last few days we noted that Sen. Sam Brownback has been pilloried by various anti-choice activists for his decision to support the nomination of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to be the next Secretary of the Health and Human Services, which culminated with the Family Research Council announcing that it was withdrawing from his "Values Action Team" over his stance.

And frankly, it doesn't look like the outrage is going to dissipate any time soon as more and more activists continue to pile on and ratchet up their rhetoric:

Mark Crutcher, president of Life Dynamics, Incorporated, says Brownback -- a self-professed pro-life Catholic -- "abandoned" the unborn by backing Sebelius.

"I think it's typical of what we've seen over the years when somebody's commitment to the unborn is political rather than a core value with them," says the pro-life leader. "It's like the difference between a politician and a statesman."

Crutcher says Brownback's desire to become the next governor of Kansas may be driving his support of Sebelius. "All of Brownback's flowery words in the past don't really mean much," he says. "When push comes to shove, he'll throw the unborn under the bus for some political advantage -- and that's what's happened here."

In addition, Crutcher says the pro-life movement has been "stabbed in the back by people like Sam Brownback so many times" that the movement should have learned the lesson that the measure of a pro-life lawmaker is not what he tells you he believes, but rather what he will do to protect the life of the unborn.

On a related note, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, who last year said that Sebelius should stop receiving Communion until she publicly repudiated her stance on abortion and made a "worthy sacramental confession," has weighed in on her nomination, calling it "particularly troubling." 

He also sat down with Our Sunday Visitor for a discussion about the nomination, saying that he "personally [finds] it offensive that [Obama] would choose a pro-legalized-abortion Catholic to head this office" and faulted Catholics who are supporting her, saying that "they certainly can’t support her because she’s faithful in living the teaching of the Church on the life issues."

Asked by the Kansas City Star if that position meant that Neumann would now be telling Sen. Brownback that he too should not be taking communion, a spokesperson said it was unlikely:

A spokesman for the Kansas City, Ks. archdiocese said Thursday that Archbishop Joseph Naumann is unlikely to suggest to Sen. Sam Brownback that he not take the sacrament of communion, as he has for Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

"I don't think he's (the Archbishop) going to have a position on him (Brownback)," said Carroll Macke, spokesman for the archdiocese.

...

Asked if the Archbishop's views on Brownback constituted a double standard, Macke said: "I don't know."

That is about the only good news Brownback has gotten on the Sebelius-front since he announced his support for her confirmation ... and when not getting barred from receiving communion is the best thing to happen to you, you know times are tough.